Data privacy management system and method

• US 9,946,897 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2016
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Lovin, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): McNally, Michael S
• Application Number:
  US15/055,106
• Publication Number:
  US 20170249478A1
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: 726 28
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

Aspects of the technology described herein can provide data privacy management. An exemplary computing device may have a tracker to track various user data of a user distributed among different service providers based on metadata associated with the user data. When a transaction manager of the exemplary computing device receives a request for a first service provider to access the user data of the user, the transaction manager may request a second service provider having the user data to provide the user data to the first service provider if the user approves the first service provider to access the user data.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing data privacy management, comprising:

a processor;

a tracker, coupled to the processor, to track a plurality of items of user data of a user distributed among a plurality of service providers based on metadata of the plurality of items of user data, and to generate a data distribution map for respective metadata of the plurality of items of user data and the plurality of service providers;

a networking interface, coupled to the tracker, to receive a request for a first service provider to access an item of the plurality of items of user data of the user; and

a transaction manager, coupled to the tracker and the networking interface, to request a second service provider having the item to provide the item to the first service provider in response to an approval from the user for the first service provider to access the item, and to send information of the data distribution map to the user in response to a request from the user to view the data distribution map.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transaction manager is further configured to solicit and receive the approval from the user for the first service provider to access the item.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transaction manager is further configured to provide an indication of permission or an indication of prohibition for the first service provider to store the item.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transaction manager is further configured to identify the second service provider, among the plurality of service providers, having the item.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data distribution map comprises a map sheet with a user identification associated with a user profile and a metadata identification associated with a metadata profile.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the map sheet further comprises a provider identification associated with a provider profile and a plurality of data property entries associated with the metadata identification.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tracker is further configured to update the data distribution map to include a new connection between the first service provider and metadata of the item.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transaction manager is further configured to receive a request from the user to purge a selected item from a selected service provider, and to send a request to the selected service provider to purge the selected item from the selected service provider.

9. A computer-implemented method for providing data privacy management, the method comprising:

tracking a plurality of items of user data of a user distributed among a plurality of service providers based on metadata of the plurality of items of user data;

receiving an approval from the user for a first service provider to access an item of the plurality of items of user data of the user;

identifying a second service provider, among the plurality of service providers, having the item;

requesting the second service provider to provide the item to the first service provider;

updating a data distribution map with a new connection between the first service provider and metadata of the item;

sending information of the data distribution map to the user in response to a request from the user to review the data distribution map;

receiving a request from the user to remove a selected item from a selected service provider based on the information of the data distribution map; and

sending a request to the selected service provider to purge the selected item.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a request from the first service provider to access the item; and

soliciting the approval from the user for the first service provider to access the item.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

sending a list of service providers having the item to the user; and

determining the second service provider based on a selection of the user among the list of service providers having the item.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining the second service provider based on a rating of the second service provider.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

providing an indication of permission or an indication of prohibition for the first service provider to store the item.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

providing a duration for the first service provider to store the item.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

generating a connection between metadata of a particular item of the plurality of items of user data and a particular service provider of the plurality of service providers when the particular service provider has the particular item; and

updating the data distribution a map with the connection.

16. The method of claim 9,

wherein the data distribution map comprises a map sheet with a user identification associated with a user profile and a metadata identification associated with a metadata profile.

17. The method of claim 16,

wherein the map sheet further comprises a provider identification associated with a provider profile and a plurality of data property entries associated with the metadata identification.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a new item of user data of the user from a third service provider;

determining metadata related to the new item; and

updating the data distribution map to include a new connection between the third service provider and the metadata related to the new item.

19. One or more computer storage devices comprising computer-implemented instructions that, when used by one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform operations comprising:

determining distribution information of a plurality of items of user data of a user among a plurality of service providers;

generating a data distribution map for respective metadata of the plurality of items of user data and the plurality of service providers;

sending information of the data distribution map to the user in response to a request from the user;

receiving an approval from the user for a first service provider to access an item of the plurality of items of user data of the user;

identifying a second service provider, among the plurality of service providers, having the item based on the distribution information; and

requesting the second service provider to provide the item to the first service provider.

20. The one or more computer storage devices of claim 19, further comprising instructions for:

updating the distribution information with a connection between metadata of the item and the first service provider.